


Rock The Boat

by EffectiveImmediately



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, Moana (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Sex, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Marriage of Convenience, Mystery, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8852353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EffectiveImmediately/pseuds/EffectiveImmediately
Summary: Marriage is the last thing Moana wants, seconded only by providing an heir. Feeling trapped, the young chief turns to the only person she can trust: a demigod, a trickster, and a close friend. Eloping is easy. What comes after... isn't. The goddess of the underworld has mysteriously vanished, unleashing horrors the world hasn't seen since it's creation. Moana and Maui set sail to find what really happened and bring her people back.





	1. Chapter 1

Moana knew she wasn’t old. Not yet, anyway. It’d only been a year since she’d first taken to the sea to find Maui, demigod of the winds and seas, and restore the heart of Te Fiti. Old enough to lead, yet too young to make her own decisions, her mother set out to find her a husband.

So she could start a family.

The young chief couldn’t understand it; there was so _much_ to do. Rotate the crops, build new stores, nurse lost fish back to the shore... Everything had been destroyed in the darkness. They had to rebuild. And in the midst of it all, there was Sina with a smile and a boy at her arm, insisting on yet another brunch.

It was how Moana found herself sailing. There was a part of her that very loudly screamed _‘you can’t take it anymore!’_ and another that begged her to keep trying. But if Moana had learned anything, it was to trust her instincts and listen to her heart. Her heart said no.

She shored her canoe on a soft sandbar. It was one of the newer island Maui had pulled from the sea, barely any life on it but clearly growing each and every day. She was sure it hadn’t looked so green the last time she’d visited. Soon it’d have people. Her people.

Moana curled her lips under her teeth and stared down at her toes. Taking a deep breath, she started walking, soles of her feet making a weaving path behind her. She mouthed the words she’d practiced in her head.

“I have decided - no! I have... decided.”

“Decided what?”

The girl whipped around, her heart jumping in chest, but with the question asked the answer seemed to fly out of her mouth. For better or worse. “As Chief, it is my duty to carry on the tradition of our people. And my village has made it clear that they're getting anxious about my future – _our_ future. So… I have decided to marry.”

Moana squinted at him. How did he always manage to sneak up on her?

“Really?!” The demigod smiled widely. “Oh, curly, that's great news! Who's the lucky guy?! When's the ceremony, and which island? The new one I just pulled up for you guys?”

“The groom always decides, so you can pick if you want.” That was less practiced. That… could have gone better. Moana winced.

“…what?” His voice still had a bit of good humor leftover, grin now confused.

“I’m overbearing,” she explained quickly. “And stubborn. And… strong-willed! I don’t like any of the choices that my mom’s given me and I have a feeling they don’t like me either.” Moana rubbed one elbow. “I have decided… to marry… you.”

“Moana,” He shot her a weary, sideward glance. “You’re scaring me. That’s not nice. And definitely not the best joke you've ever come up with. I told you you were never good at them.”

Her shoulders slumped. It’d been worth a shot. Her cheeks burned as she frowned. “I don’t see why I have to marry _now_. Or at all!”

“Right!” Maui readily agreed, stretching out his arms jovially. “So don’t! You’re a strong, independent woman. You don’t need a husband. You can just sail… far, far away… right now.” Moana stared until finally he sighed, one large hand pushing back his own wild hair. “Look, I get the gist that this is your proposal. And - I'm flattered, really! - but uh, first of all, not very romantic. And we haven't spoken in a month, and I didn't even KNOW you had those feelings! Really, not the best idea.”

“No, I get it,” she said dryly. “It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with my ancestral line dying out and me disappointing my village and every village from here to the east.” She knew she was being melodramatic, but didn’t she have every right to be? He could have comforted her, at least! “The last one who proposed to _me_ handed me a bouquet of poison ivy, but you know - I’ll be okay.”

“Oh wow, that’s pretty special.” Maui shook his head at the change of subject. “Moana, I’m-!” He gestured violently at himself. “DemiGOD! As in. Not. Human. You? Human.”

“You were born human.” 

“That-!”

“You...” Moana circled around him. “Look human. And without your hook, you’re,” her hand waved. “Basically human.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m an immortal,” Maui scoffed. “Stop being difficult.”

“You could play with our great, great, great grandchildren.” 

Maui glared. “Sounds great.”

Moana kicked the sand, burying her feet in it a second later and wiggling her toes deep in the warm roughness. “At least they can’t say I didn’t try.”

Maui sat down heavily in front of a large bolder. Moana followed, climbing to perch atop it. “And sunk like a rock. You're almost as bad at courting as the poison ivy guy.”

“Do me a favor?” she asked. “When they write me in as the lonely, love-sick but battle-worn Chief? Don't correct them.”

“Aw, that’s not fun!” He leaned back against the rock, stretching out his legs - visibly more relaxed as the seconds ticked by without her insisting to marry him.

“Maybe I can adopt...” he heard her sigh listlessly.

“Doesn’t count.” It had to be blood. Everyone knew that.

Moana groaned, glaring up at the sun. She wished it would burn her up, right here on the island. Fry her like an egg. “I never thought about having a husband before. I'd thought about a kid; I liked that part. Why does it have to be so hard?”

The young chief knew that she came here to vent to Maui more than anything. Not in a million years did she expect him to say yes. What she’d needed was an escape. He’d been providing just that more and more lately.

“It's not hard! You go up to a guy you think is cute, order him as chief to marry ya, do the dirty, then have itty bitty babies running around. Easy peasy.” Like her, he staring up at clouds, watching them roll by.

Moana turned onto her side, leaning her head on her elbow. Her long, curly hair cascaded down to touch the sand. “Have you ever been in love?”

“Noooope! I get enough love being a hero,” he turned his head to wink at her.

“Oh right. Slim pickings on that island.”

“I mean,” Maui started. “I've wanted a wife before, when I was a thousand two hundred years younger. Saw a couple pretty ladies on the shore, didn't work out.”

“But you're so obviously a catch! They didn't know what they were missing.”

“Thank you,” he sang.

“You’re welcome,” Moana sang back, gently pushing her knuckles against his shoulder with a small but warm smile. It didn’t last long, falling as she realized she’d be coming home empty handed. Her eyes were stony as she stared back at the ocean. This time, there was no call.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep 'em coming. In a small fandom, they're about the only thing that'll keep you going. Definitely more to come for this one, though.

"Easy travels, short stuff. Don’t wanna ruin the goods before your big day."

Moana all but rolled her eyes as she pushed her canoe off the sand. "If only a scar would do the trick."

"That's not the way these kinds of things work - well, they can. There was one lady who pricked her finger on a seashell and the blood drop made a baby. Weird times. Don't try that, the kid turned into a behemoth in the ocean and ate the island." Maui shifted on his feet. "That lady made some shady deals."

Picking up her skirt, she wadded through the shallow water and hopped up onto the bow. "Interesting... Very interesting. Definitely _won't_ try something like that.” 

"Just letting you know. Could already see those ideas starting to float around, had to do something." With one hand he grabbed the edge of the boat, holding it tight and smiling warmly at her. "Be sure to invite me to the ceremony, alright? If I'm not on the list then I revoke your Maui fanclub card."

With that, he gave it a heaving push.

The young chief gave a dejected wave goodbye. "If I can FIND you-!" she managed to call. The ocean did the rest and deafened anything else she might have had to say. With the sail raised, she quickly became a dot on the horizon, autographed ore sinking behind the waves.

He let his hand linger in the air, no longer waving but still stuck there. On Maui's chest, dark ink began to stir. With it's minimal features, it almost looked as though the tattoo of himself were glaring at him. Finally he looked down at the miniature replica of himself and gave a snort. "What."

It held out it's hands at where Moana had left, exasperated. Wasn't it obvious?!

"What am I supposed to do about it?!"

The tattoo slapped his palm to his forehead.

"Oh, yeah, like you have the better idea! Well, guess what? Already thought of, already rejected." He leaned in to glare right back at his image. "That's certain death, hooking herself to me like I'm the answer. Human girl goes with human boy. It's called compatibility."

Mini Maui pointed up at the tattoo of said human girl, who suddenly didn't look so ordinary against ancient monsters of the deep. The image of Moana stirred as if her name had been called. Her shoulders sagged and she stretched her legs listlessly.

"What, you too now?! Give me a break," Maui sighed, watching both the figures now try their best to guilt trip him.

Moana stood and stepped off her boat, falling through the oceans waves and reappearing where Maui lifted the sky. Maui opened his arms and Moana burst into a run, but just as the girl was about to fall into them, he turned his back on her. She gave an exaggerated tumble.

Maui's eyes squinted at that, watching both of them start to act out the scene that'd just happened. "Come ON, I was NOT that mean! I wasn't mean at all! You're making it look like I left her on an island to - Okay, bad example. Still! This isn't really up for discussion."

Moana drug herself back up onto her feet without a helping hand, walking with a sorry hunch to his right pectoral. Her counterpart made a show of checking behind himself to see her go, turning back and nodding in affirmation. A dark figured, detailless but obviously a taller, wider man, morphed out of another tattoo. He took an unwilling Moana's hand. She hung her head.

"Wow, really put thought into this all, didn't you."

Then she offed herself, writhing and clawing at the sky, as Mini-Maui pulled at his hair in worry.

Just when he thought the show was finished, Moana kicked again.

"Are you done."

A smaller kick.

With a roll of his eyes, he pinched that same foot, picking her up and placing her back in her boat. "Look, I appreciate you two looking out for her but there's a time and place. I'm looking out for her too. It's...true that she likes being untethered, likes adventuring like me, and would probably die of boredom if stuck with her people for too long-" That only made the two of them grin up at him, and he took in a breath of frustration. "BUT-yes! There was a but! She would be better off with that type. For one, I don't age. For another, I seek out trouble _all_ the time. And lastly, that trouble is something I can handle, but a clever mind doesn't mean she has the body to compensate."

Moana tapped her foot, stumped by the obvious point that had now been made twice. Smacking Mini Maui with her oar like he was offering for her to do would seem childish at best. She threw up her hands and paced, but - AH! Her finger rose with a smirk. Again, a dark figure filled in, this time taking her by the waist. She pushed and shoved against his chest, leaning as far back as she could, but still he persisted. A pinky separated the two and the assailant broke into pieces. Moana stomped, taking the oar and smacking Maui instead for ruining her scene.

Mini Maui shook his head.

"Yeah, like MOANA would let that happen, let alone her entire village. Methinks you are a dramaqueen. Enough." With one firm poke to her chest, he pushed her off the boat and she went flopping into the dark inked waves below, creating quite the artistic splash.

Mini Maui balked in shock and he grinned at him. "What?"

The caricature turned his head and snuffed him.

"Yeah, yeah, go sulk."

The tattoo returned to it's usual position, raising his arms and hoisting the sky in a high arch before stiffening. Moana chose to stay under the water.

Maui stared, checking for bubbles.

Instead, the waves stilled.

"Really? You're dead? So now on top of rejecting you, I've murdered you."

She broke character to hold up two fingers and remind him that he'd done that twice now.

He rolled his eyes, checking the horizon once more to see if he could even spot her anymore. No. She was gone. And he was starting to have some doubts on whether or not it was the right thing in the first place.


	3. Chapter 3

Restoring the heart of Te Fiti had caused a flourishing the island had never seen. Coconuts were hanging from the trees in heavy tens, full and juicy. Banana bunches were so large it took a strong man to carry even one. Sweet potatoes and yams were filling barrel after barrel.

“It’s as if they grew overnight!” One woman told her, breathless at the sheer amount of it all. Moana had a sneaking suspicion that maybe they had.

Old, abandoned stores were quickly being rebuilt by their only master carpenter, who would now see at least three apprentices come the waning of the moon. They would need more huts just to house it all, and then the island could keep the rest. Having gone without food for so long, every villager seemed happy - happier than Moana had ever seen them. The sight brought a smile to her face, cheeks flushed, more than excited to help organize the days.

The chief took a basket of cut sugarcane under her arm. “If we put these in crates, we could stack them. Then they could go around the outside and save space inside.”

“Good idea,” her aunt nodded, taking the basket from her. “I think we have a few that the fishermen used to use, by the shore.” Her voice trailed off, gaze following someone - or something - behind Moana. The girl turned her head and broke into a wide grin.

“Miss me already? It's only been a day!” she called. He always looked so wide when he walked down their paths.

“Aw, just a teensy bit,” Maui smiled back, stopping behind her before striking a heroic pose. “Hey, how are ya?” He winked at the older woman, flexing. Moana could only laugh at her confused expression. It was so impulsive with the demigod. He really couldn’t help himself. “Just gonna steal your chief for a bit. Don't worry, I'll bring her right back.”

“Oh-?” Moana made to ask, but she was already being dragged away. Something in her couldn’t help but feel excited. Was their something big happening out their? Something he needed her for? If she could play hero again and avoid this whole mess... Out on the ocean, wind in her sails... “What is it?” Moana asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

“Ehhh, you know...just...stuff,” he finished lamely, twirling his hook as they pretty much strolled down the path to a more secluded spot.

“Secret stuff?” she whispered back as they passed a heavy brush where their village met the shore.

“Errmmmm, more like matrimonial _stuff_.” His fingers created quotes in the air, trying to keep the conversation light, which was proving to be difficult when one spoke about marrying one's best friend. “I'm here to talk about your proposal,” he finally finished flatly, facing her.

“Oh...” Moana’s brows furrowed. Matrimonial...  “O-oh! I'm sorry. I've been under a lot of stress lately and I _really_ needed someone to talk to.” She swallowed, breath suddenly shallow, as if it couldn’t be caught. The look he was giving her. Either he was here to make sure she’d put the idea to rest or... No. He wouldn’t. “No big deal! If you want to forget about it-” She lightly pressed her knuckles to his shoulder. “Then just forget about it!”

“Tried that, didn't work. Look, curly, I thought long and hard about this. And about my favorite little seafarer going out there and trying to fix her spouse problem as fast as possible - because you DO that. And possibly getting stuck with a guy she doesn't care anything about and that kinda just gets in the way of her own plans, blah blah blah. Point is, I thought about it,” he said again, ducking his head to look her square in the eyes with a serious expression, hand on his chest. “And I'm here to say yes.”

“You're... you're here to say... yes?”  Her throat had closed. The seed of doubt that had been planted in mind before she'd even worked up the courage to ask had grown bigger and bigger until it was practically a tree, a big NO. She'd gone back to the drawing board. “I, um... I... hadn't expected that.” The relief of not having to see anymore suitors or think about a miserable future hit her all at once, knocking the wind out of her. “Thank you.”

“Just doing my job as a friend,” he boasted, smiling warmly down at her. “I know it's weird for both of us. Me, a demigod marrying a mortal, and you, that mortal marrying someone this amazing, but it's something we'll just have to get used to.”

“Right.” Like THAT could ever be the weird part. She wasn't going to have to marry them... She wasn't going to have to marry them! Overwhelmed, Moana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, crushing her forehead to him.

“Okay, okay!” He pulled her up into a hug. _Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all_ , he thought, as he pet the back of her head. He could handle this with someone like Moana. For someone like Moana.

“I should get back! We wanted everything put away by sundown. And then I could maybe mention to mom that the position...” She poked his chest, watching her finger sink into the bulging muscle. “Has been filled.”

Maui tugged her close for another second, soaking in that same warm feeling he usually got when she so much as looked at him. Something that said this is you, this is where you belong. Mortals. “Alright. Guess I'll leave that to you then.”

Moana almost laughed as he still clung to her like a sloth to a tree. “Right.” she said, backing up on bare feet. “I'll see you later!”

“Right.” he repeated quietly, feeling that same anxiety he'd managed to quell on the trip here that’d started the second she’d left his island. He’d had countless talks with Mini Maui about WHY this was such a bad idea, and why it was a good one... It wasn’t perfect, but if anyone deserved a bail of some sort, it was her, even if it meant trouble later for him. He'd lived long enough, after all.

Little Moana. Still so young. Maui watched her disappear back along the path, running. His miniature watched with a pout and he rolled his eyes, knowing they had shared the same thought. “Hey, beggers can't be choosers, bud.”

In another second, he was airborne.


	4. Chapter 4

They were building canoes by the hundreds. And canoes took a lot more trees to build than she’d thought. The number hadn’t seemed that large, but seeing the stumps in front of her... That wasn’t exactly fair to the island. “We’re going to have to replace them,” she told the small crowd around her decidedly. “We’ll clear these and fertilize the land. We’ll... pull a few fisherman off season to help!”

“We don’t need as many out anymore,” one young man agreed, crossing his arm over his chest and nodding.

“Exactly. How long do these take to grow again?”

“Twenty years,” another answered dryly.

“...oh, okay, so we should start now. Maybe we could supplement lumber from other islands. Ration it out. But that’d take more canoes to haul them.” Moana stopped her rambling, putting her fingers to her forehead and rubbing her temples. “Let me think about this. Get started with the stumps in the meantime!”

The chief turned to walk through the grass back to the path. She was grateful for all the distractions. As busy as she was, she’d not forgotten her recent engagement. And she'd not forgotten that she still had to tell her parents... There had to be a way to break it to them that they wouldn’t immediately jump down her throat. There _had_ to be.

“Moana!” Her mother called and waved as if the thought had dropped her there. A thin boy was at her side. He had peckish skin, but he was wearing nice clothes and his hair was pulled up in a neat style. It looked as though he’d been stuck inside all year and hadn’t seen a day of work since. Eyes glancing over his long nose, Moana had one thought: _not one of ours._

Her stomach twisted.

He wasn’t supposed to come until the next cycle. Hadn’t she had more time? Or... no, her mother had told her about him forever ago and she had barely listened to a word of it, the threat of marriage feeling so empty then.

“My little auweke,” her mother chimed. “There you are! Look who I've caught wandering along the shores."

“I heard,” she fibbed readily. “Welcome to Motunui.”

“Aloha,” the boy breathed back nervously. He leaned forward, bowing his head, and Moana stopped breathing all together. She watched in slow-motion, cross-eyed, as his nose touched to hers. It was the longest hongi Moana had ever had in her life. Her mother watched, clearly delighted.

“It was so exciting to be able to ride in a canoe without the entire village this time!” he laughed. “Like an adventure! But our chieftain would know about this.” He smiled at her knowingly, and then swallowed, stumbling with his words. “It's good to see you again after such a large split. You look beautiful...”

Moana's eyes widened at that and her own smile felt so tight her cheeks ached. “Thank you!”

The boy waited for her to say something more. What was his name? Her eyes darted to her mother in panic. What was his name?!

 _"Kainalu_ and I were wondering if we could steal you away for lunch,” Sina patiently answered the silent plea. Moana visibly relaxed, then tensed again.

“We won’t take up much of your time! Promise. We both know how busy you are.”

“I...” Moana could do one lunch. Then she’d tell her. “Suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

It was a short but chatty walk back to the village clearing. Kainalu, the chief’s son from a newly discovered, neighboring island, and Sina prattled on the whole way there. As they sat on a freshly woven mat, Moana idly wondered why her mother couldn’t marry instead if she liked him so much. Roasted pork was set out on a spit in front of them, laid on a fresh bed of greens. Moana looked around worriedly for Pua.

“Kainalu was telling me how amazing he was with numbers. He can do it all in his head! He was telling me,” Sina covered her mouth as she excitedly swallowed a bite. “That for his people’s last festival, he gave them the exact number of everything they’d need, right at the start. And by the time it was all finished, he was right! He’s very smart; I’ve seen it, too! Give him a number, any number!”

“Uh-” Moana picked at her meal. “Eighty-seven?”

Sina waved her hands. “Now multiply it by thirty-four!”

“Two thousand nine hundred and fifty eight,” the proud prince answered before she’d so much as finished the number.

“Isn’t that amazing!” the older woman jumped, clapping her hands.

“Neat trick.” Moana nodded her head, smiling kindly.

“I was always one for studying. I never much cared for the elder stories. Silly things. A waste of time, really. Asthmatic was my-”

He had Moana’s undivided attention for the first time since he'd arrived. “I love elder stories."

“Oh, sure,” he nodded sympathetically. “They were fun when we were kids.”

“I still love them. Most of them are true, you know.”

“...r-right! I guess you _would_ know if they were.” There was something in his eyes that made Moana suspicious as she took her next bite. Everyone knew by now what she’d done, who she’d been with, and exactly what she’d been up against. The proof lumbered around the village from time to time, big hair shining, muscles flexing. But most she’d met were still hard-pressed to change their opinion. As if anything more than an over-sized, shape-shifting Maui was pushing it.

“I need to get going.” Her look passed for apologetic as she set her hardly eaten food down, getting up for her feet. “But before I forget, could I talk to you outside, mom? Official island business.”

“I understand completely!” Kainalu waved her off. “Rule away.”

Sina followed her daughter out of the hut and even further away. “Moana, what it is?” she asked, confused.

“You told me I could decide,” Moana interrupted, imploring her. It wasn't a complaint so much as a gentle reminder.

Sina looked worriedly at her only child now. “Yes, I did, Moana. That's why I brought him here, so you could speak to him, have some time to get to know each other. It'll be alright, just you watch. You don't have to marry right away.”

“I - the thing is, I already have decided. I was going to tell you this morning, but I couldn't find you.” Moana watched her mother closely, noting her smoother hair, the drooping, pale flowers twined in the loose braid, the way she stood so elegantly. Like her father, Sina was practical. It was a trait she never inherited.

“You HAVE?!” The older woman sighed happily, hands clasped. “That's wonderful. Is it from our village then? A boy here? I saw you sneaking away with Ruihi a few times,” she sang, giving her a wink.

“With Ruihi-?” Moana blinked. “No! I have decided I will marry... _Maui_.” Saying it aloud, to her mother, was like taking a plunge in cold water. Over quickly and with a great splash. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her choice. Moana loved Maui, in her own way. He was kind, gentle, caring, even if he didn’t see it himself. He’d become the closest friend she’d ever had. This pulled them even closer; it made them inseparable. It was the disappointment of everyone else she loved that she knew was coming.

Why couldn’t she be more practical?

“M-Maui?” She watched her mother’s mind visibly skip around, trying to place the name to a face of someone in the village fruitlessly. “Moana... You can't mean...him.”

“I think you'll see that it's better for everyone if I'm happy - and he makes me happy. I know. I know he's not _for_ everyone. But you get used to it! It grows on you! And before you know it, this will all blow over-”

“MOANA!” Sina was this side of appalled now, hands on her hips as her daughter tried to explain this to her as if she were one of the villagers and not the woman who birthed her. “You cannot just sit here and tell me that it's a good choice! He's a demigod! He is not Moutonui! He cannot BE a husband!”

“We talked about it! It WILL work! And what does it matter if he's not Moutonui?! HE'S not Moutonui!” Moana furiously pointed back at the hut where the guest was.

“He WAS Moutonui! We all were before we split! How can you forget your people so easily to just go sailing away with the demigod!”

“A millennium ago he was of Mountonui!” Their bickering was growing louder now, causing the stilling silence of the few villagers around them. “Would you listen to me-?! I'm not sailing anywhere!”

“How can you stand here and talk to me like one of the common people!? I am your mother! I cannot just see you sail away again because you don't want this responsibility!”

“I am _fine_ with the responsibility,” Moana pleaded. “I like the responsibility!”

“Don't tell me you won't go! This is YOU, Moana! This reflects on us all! He cannot be a husband! He is not human! And you cannot be chief if you wed him!”

The girl clenched her outstretched hands before running them through her hair, gripping the roots in frustration. “Why NOT?! If this is about me having a child, then he's all I need to do it! And then we can part ways!”

“Moana,” Sina croaked now, eyes glassy and imploring, at her wits end with her daughter.

“Why is it so _hard_ for you to believe that I've thought about this too?” Moana’s voice was hoarse, tears in the corner of her own eyes. “I will do my duty. But I have to do it my way.”

“This CANNOT end WELL!” But anything more her mother could have said was lost, unable to articulate.

“Then I will LEARN from my mistakes.”

“His-his child alone would be your death! A half god born from a mortal! Please. Please stop being so rash, my auweke...”

“You don't know that.” Her mother's fingers touched her jaw, coaxing her attention, but Moana could only curl her lips under her teeth. “I know that you never believed in the stories that grandmother told, but I did. I believed her. And I _know-_ ”

“Legends that include marrying one? No, Moana. You believe in that yourself. That you can pluck him from the sky and tie him down, but a demigod will not have our life! No matter how far you've sailed with him. He was made to roam, and that is NOT what you were made to do.”

“Yes, I was.” The sea had chosen HER. The gods had chosen her. And she might go so far to say that her ancestors had put it in her blood. “But I CHOSE to stay, because I love you and I love this island. I am doing the best that I can.”

“Please, just...” Sina looked as though she'd been struck. She grabbed at her daughter's hands, holding them. “Give this TIME. Please. For me. For us.”

“I can't- I can't promise that.” Moana pulled her hands away. “I have to think,” she added, tearing her gaze from the woman, knowing that her mind was already made up.

“Fine.” Her lip and shoulders were stiff as she walked off.


	5. Chapter 5

Ever since her mom had left her standing there – off to tell her dad about how irresponsible and unreasonable she was being, Moana had NO doubt – her stomach had twisted into a ball of nerves.

Growing up, she’d always been her “father’s daughter”. They were just alike, everyone would always say, and Tui would shake his head at the trouble he knew that would bring. Since the day she was born, she could be found curled in his arm or riding on his shoulder, hugging his leg or climbing his back… They were close. But when they fought, it was never anything short of legendary.

Her mom would handle every conflict she could to avoid catastrophe, but there were times when she couldn’t handle Moana and sent for him. Both hot-headed, both determined, both _right_ and refusing to be anything but, the village likened their fights to an erupting volcano.

“If you smell smoke? Run,” they'd joked to one another.

They didn’t fight often. The last had been when he’d gone to burn their ancestor’s canoes. Moana thanked the Gods that he hadn’t been able to. She’d thought that was bad, but this... this she knew was going to be the fight to end all fights.

Moana escaped to find Maui, her future husband, which had a strange ring to it. Mostly, she’d needed some air... and for someone to tell her that no, she wasn’t being selfish. Maui assured her she was, _absolutely_ , but at least she wouldn’t regret it. She didn’t have the heart to tell him about her parents. The demigod had looked so happy, downright excited. She didn't want to take that away from him. Not yet. 

Maui protested, but finally agreed to meet her later that night to talk about how it all went. 

"Moana!" The chieftain jumped at the sound of her name being called.

The village healer gave Moana a wiry smile, to which the girl breathed a sigh of relief. Her experience showed in the many wrinkles under eyes, like the trunk of a coconut tree. Her short, gray hair had been pulled into a thin bun at the top of her head. In her hand was a walking stick, pressed into the swallowing sand. "If there is time, child, we _do_ need whisper-honey! They're the best for-"

"Burns! I know. I'm on it. I _promise_." Moana held up her hands genuinely. "They're due to be harvested soon. Then we should have enough for... the next cycle..."

"Dear, are you okay?" the old woman started in concern, catching the worried glint in her eye, but Moana was now stiff as a stone. She turned to see what could have possibly caught her attention and caused such a reaction. There looked to be nothing unusual, though, and she squinted, damning her going eyes. "There was a time when I could make out every little detail in the sky and sea. I tell you, time goes by..." And like that, the child was gone.

Moana, panting heavily now, pressed herself inside the nearest hut. Had he seen her?! No! No, he couldn’t have! If she just stayed quiet…

"Chief-"

"Shh!" Wide-eyed, Moana jerked a finger to her mouth. The carpenter stilled his sanding, eyes narrowing.

"Chief," he repeated again, warily. "Why exactly are you hiding behind all the logs? I'm going to need those soon, just to let you know. I mean, you can hide behind those finished ones if you want." A nod indicated the other set he'd finished cutting to his right.

Moana pursed her lips as low, deep voices grew louder. She opened her mouth to argue and then stopped all together, crouching low just as the door-flap swung open.

"Oh hi, chief! Former...chief." The carpenter scratched his goatee, wondering over the large man that took up most of the entrance, darkening the room. "What can I have you for, Tui? Any need repairs we need?" Despite himself, his eyes darted over to the pile before coming back to meet Tui's.

"You haven't seen Moana, have you?” Moana bit her lip.

"Today? Yeah, today she stopped in to talk about the new boats. I see Moana all the time. We all do!"

Tui pinched his nose in frustration. "Look, Leiou, I don't have time to - to TAKE my time. I need to speak to her now. It's important. So please, if you see her, tell her - you know what, just hold her and yell for me. Knowing Moana she'll slip away again, especially when it comes to things she cares nothing for." With that, he left the hut, sand kicking up behind him.

Carefully, Moana crept out from behind the logs. When it felt like she could breathe again, she stood up a little straighter. Maui was right. She'd gone toe to toe with Te Ka, but her dad was what struck fear in her? Really?! "You wouldn't care for it, either..." the girl muttered to herself.

"I don't think yelling at the Chief would be wise. Even if she is a keiki."

Moana gave him an affirming - if not grateful - nod.

"So what's this about?" He leaned his head on one dusty hand, looking up at the girl with a wide and earnest - if just a bit too curious - grin. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Moana sat on one of Leiou’s closed chests. Maybe this was good; she could ask someone not directly involved. But did she really get in trouble so often that the question was _what now, Moana?_ Yes, she thought to herself, begrudgingly. Definitely yes. “This can’t leave the hut.”

“Rarely anything but wood does.”

"If I married someone not of "Montenui"... would you care?"

"That's a question for the ages!" He sat back, considering it with crossed arms and a confused expression, as if someone had let off in the room and no one could figure out who. "Who else is there that is not Montenui?"

"That's what I said! I'm sure he counts... He pulled the island from the sea in the first place." Moana crossed her legs and leaned over her knees.

"Pull the island..." Leiou repeated, all the more confusion.

“Would you care if he was a demigod?” she supplied.

His eyes grew wider and wider in sudden realization and he gaped at her, looking at the girl as if he'd never seen her before, eyes wide as the moon as they raked over her body. He looked back up at her face, hands up as if to shield himself from what he saw as he flinched back. "GODS! The wedding night will kill you! Moana, NO! Please don't!"

"First it's the childbirth, now it's the wedding night!" It only dawned on her after she said it what he meant. "Oh-OH! Gods! What IS it with you people?!" Her face was burning from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. No. No. She wasn't going to think about that! Not until it was in front of her and she could deal with it! Not _deal_ with it, but- "He wouldn't agree to it unless he knew he could do it!"

"Don't DO IT! Just DON'T! Tell him NO! He can't have you! You're too small!"

"I asked HIM!"

"If you could fit?!" Leiou grimaced, shaking his head, shoulders tight at the sheer prospect. "Gods, I'm getting too old for this. My heart."

"No, if I could marry him." Moana dropped her head into her hands. "This is a disaster."

"Marry...why? Why would you ask Maui to do this? You have men coming across the ocean now to be chosen..."

"And I don't know any of them." Moana stressed, turning tired eyes the carpenter's way. "Not even their names. Everyone knows you and Bienne were best friends, ever since you were kids. I... I guess I just want that, too."

"A friend? Still, this is...insane. Moana, you're putting a lot on yourself. Nothing like this will end well, especially that wedding night." That last part was muttered to himself, obviously having made up his mind on the possible results of such a union.

 _You're no help_ , Moana wanted to grouch but she bit her tongue. It was the same conversation she'd had with her mother. Almost identical. He even SPOKE like her.

"How could it not end well!" Leiou's wide eyes and pulled back head answered again _exactly_ how. "Besides that! It's perfect otherwise. I don't have to commit myself to a complete stranger for the rest of my life-" Moana was pacing now. How was she supposed to marry someone who wouldn't understand her call to the sea, who would balk like everyone else at her "silly" stories, someone who'd sleep in her bed expecting more than she could give? Her whole life she'd been putting on a brave face to make it all work. But she couldn't ignore the voice of her grandma Tala asking her, what do YOU want? "And he wouldn't be around all the time, so I could focus on the important things! Like you guys. And- and I'll have a baby. When I'm ready! I'd be happy."

Her voice croaked. Why didn’t it sound like that’d make her happy?

"The baby of a demigod...oh, that's a big baby."

“Have you talked to my mom?” she asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"No, haven't seen her much. Why? She on you too about this? She should be! You’re crazy. You were born it. Crazy. Crazy baby, always trying to go drown herself."

Moana stomped her foot, turning on her heel leave. "I wasn't trying to drown myself; the ocean was my friend!"

"Moana."

“Dad!” she shrieked, stopping short. His arms were crossed, standing expectantly outside of the hut, as if he had been waiting for her. He had. “I was just-!"

"Oh, I know. I know what you've been up to these past few days. Your mother has let me know in detail."

"I can explain..." It was as if the Gods had sucked all the air out of her chest and balled it up in her throat.

"Oh? Then by all means, explain.” Tui set his jaw. “And make it better this time. Explain to me why I'm busy hunting around for you when our sister island has come to visit us. Explain to me why you’re not at the shore helping our people get ready for the ceremonies."

Moana opened her mouth... and then closed it before she said anything stupid. "I was only thinking," she choked. "Isn't it a little early to be having ceremonies? It's not Lono’s day, the star's haven't set on the northern side..." This she counted on her fingers, as if completely ignorant of what he was talking about, and then tried and nearly failed to brush past him. "If we're only celebrating their arrival, then there shouldn’t be much to do!”

"Stop being obtuse, Moana. Why him?"

"Because he's my friend!” Moana shouted, immediately regretting it. She never shouted at her Dad. Not like that. “It's not a hard choice to make!”

Tui sighed, looking up at the sky as if it'd give him the answer to his own vexing daughter. One that would never listen for long. It did not.

Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her gently, watching Moana's eyes lock with his. "You can be friends with someone without marrying them! He's not your answer out of this!"

"Then what is?" Moana shot back desperately. Her eyes were glossy now, and she swallowed thickly to keep it all inside, like she’d been doing for so long. It was even harder to do in front of him. "I do not _want_ to be married, papa."

"And neither did I!" He stayed quiet after that, breathing hard, blinking down at her. "Moana, look. Marriage is not always an easy path to take. We're not all blessed. We do not always have the time. I was young and wanted that freedom, selfish. You...you don't have the time. We've tried for more children, but Sina cannot... you know this. If something happens to you…" He paced now, much like his daughter often did, unsure if he could go on with such a terrible thought. "Regardless, marrying a safe option makes sense. Maui is a demigod. He is not human like us. He has other desires, he's not part of the earth, he's part of the sky."

"I've heard that before. You don't know him like I do. I-I don't want him to be anything other than what he is. I like that he flies! I like that he wanders, and is hard to find, and - and can just _go_!" Moana's hands reached out at the sea she missed. There were so many things she couldn’t articulate. _Fun_ , he was so much fun… And when he smiled, it made her feel... good. "Maui understands me. He IS the safe option for me! And if you cared about me, you'd let me do this my way, like you said I could. You'd listen to me! You've _never_ listened to me."

"I hear you, Moana, but I do _not_ agree. Am I allowed that?" His nostrils flailed. "You have your ocean now, any time you desire, yet you want more. You cannot always have it all." 

The girl closed her eyes, all of her emotions bubbling to the surface now like… like a volcano about to erupt. The lava had cooled into a heavy, dark disappointment – for both of them. "No... I can't." 


	6. Chapter 6

As promised, the sky was at its darkest when Moana crept inside the cave. It was the cave of her ancestors, where the journey had first begun… Long, tall canoes were still shored. It just looked so beautiful like this, but it was a shame to leave them. They belonged on the water. Her hand touched to the side of one, feeling the hardwood run smooth under her fingertips, even after all these years. The moon lit her steps through the wide mouth at the front. 

"Maui?" she whispered, peering around the hull of one ship. She didn’t want to be too loud for fear of being followed. “Maui?”

"Alive and in the flesh. Almost died due to boredom but I held out for ya." One of them creaked from where he was lounging, a long striped animal that stretched almost the entire expanse, it's tail curling and swaying. Yellow eyes glowed in the dark to spot her. Moana could only stare back.

She'd never seen one of those before... Elated at the sight, she dug her fingers into the boards of the canoe and pulled herself up. On instinct, she touched him, wondering over a soft pelt taut over powerful limbs. "What is that?" she asked, the heavy weight she’d been feeling up until then all but lifted at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, this?" he started, sounding quite pleased in his tone and lifting one giant paw. It was just as big as his human hand. "Just something that lived on island number twenty-seven. Locals there called them jungle cats."

Moana was quick to grasp that paw. As suspected, the fur was entirely unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was so thin she could feel every bone, but there was a strength there… When she pressed experimentally on the fleshy, dotted pads, long claws lengthened before her eyes. "They're soft!"

"Well of course they are! You think I'd turn into a spikey, overgrown rat? Some faith you've got, short stuff." He moved around her now, stretching equally powerful muscles as she gaped in wonder, both hands pressed to a back that moved under her palms. “How'd the talk go?” the cat purred. “When am I invited?"

" _Weeeell_...” she all but avoided the question. “I’d die for a fur in this. It'd be a shame to kill it, though. It's so pretty." Moana stroke his back fully, watching the fur on his neck raise.

"Good luck with that. I wrestled with plenty of them for fun. NOT happy kitties. At all. Very bitey, clawy. They like to punch, too. You'd think they'd get it over with, but nope! Playing with their food if they can. I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t answer me." He took that moment to shift back, hook swinging over his shoulder as he stared down at her, waiting. "They want to meet me now? We'll fly over in style!"

The canoe barely shifted when she sat on the edge of it, all of the weight balanced by the demigod alone. "I... wouldn't say that, exactly? It didn't go..." Fingers nervously twined through her hair. "Great?"

"Oh..."  _That was odd_ , Maui thought. This feeling. "To be honest, didn't think it'd be that hard."

In fact, he'd thought they'd be a little thrilled once the shock wore off. Congratulations, Waialiki, your daughter is to be wed with Maui. Please, hold the applause. Go figure, they were apparently so upset that even Moana didn't want to tell most of the tale, holding her tongue instead. For her or his benefit he wasn't sure, which just made it worse.

_Cool it, Maui. They probably had the exact same reason as you to say no. Just let it go._

"It's not that they don't like you!" Those fingers were catching on knots now. "Everyone likes you,” she snorted as if anyone couldn’t. “They’re convinced that as soon as I marry you I'm going to go on another adventure and never come back, or get into all sorts of danger... Or be split in two in childbirth, which, before we do this - that's _not_ going to happen, right?"

"Look, we were GOING to work out the kinks! ...Eventually. I mean, yeah, it might be a - a LITTLE -" he blew out an exasperated breath, wondering why of all things he felt the need to defend this decision now when he'd been so against it before. They didn't want him. Didn't think he was worthy. Felt he'd hurt Moana. As if he ever could. He had. "Different...! But...nothing we can't figure out together, there's no rush - is there a rush?"

"No rush!" Moana hopped up from her seat. "Like you said, there's no reason why we can't work it out! We're friends; we're adults. We've got this." Her parent’s worries felt like something to laugh at now, and she did. "They were going on about how I couldn't _tie_ you down, and I told them I didn't want to! I know we didn't talk much about this before, but you know that I wouldn't expect-! What I mean is, I'm fine either way. But you know that!"

He walked past her, viewing the large and tied sail of a canoe that still needed care before it was sea worthy. After...after everything. After helping her restore the heart..."Good. I mean, I figured that was what you wanted, too. One point for us working out, hey? I thought you'd end up sailing around with me anyway," he admitted lightly, trying not to emphasize how much he'd hoped for it. Being alone was overrated, Maui had soon found out on that island. "Wasn't a plan so much as just what I thought was the natural course. You being you." And the theatrics of two dark figures who'd been sure to convince him that she would absolutely love to, all the adventures one heart could take. "But no rush is good!" he finally finished soberly, mind taking off the idea of domestics that seemed to not suit either of them. "Plenty of time to figure 'us' out."

"...I _want_ to." Her smile faded and something twisted in her gut. "But being chief is a big responsibility. There're people who need me. I – I don't think I could. Unless it was important!"

“I wouldn’t say that. You’ve got a way with your people,” he gruffed, following her off the boat and back to the sand. “Chief Moana~”

"You think so? It doesn't always feel like it..." Like now. It was NOT a burden, but the weight of living up to the Waialiki legacy was heavy on her shoulders. Moana felt exhausted already and she was only a year in.

"Know so. They love ya. I've seen you guys together. You may be new, but you're not new to them..." he drifted off, looking out toward the ocean as they started to head out down the mountain. He was silent for the most part, seeing the lights of her village far off in the distance. His brow furrowed but he let out a soft breath. "Come on, curly. I'll fly ya home. Don't want you stubbing your toe in the dark."

"What? Hey." Moana reached down took his hand. "I didn't make you wait all day for nothing. Come on, chicken. I've got an idea."

"Chicken? Hey, I am NOT a chicken. I'm being responsible, you know, something the village would value and all that and where are you taking us..." This was not toward all her huts. Instead they were heading further down the mountain, past countless trees, coming closer and closer to the shore. Her hand felt so small in his but her pull was still substantial and he sighed loudly. "Okay, sailing off now is definitely not what we should be doing. It'd probably only make them more against the idea. Kinda an 'I told you so'."

Aaaand she wasn't listening to him. 

"Chicken," she clearly couldn't resist teasing, clucking as they marched down the familiar path.

Maui snorted in amusement. "That's my line.”

Moana's body thrummed with a budding eagerness. They were close enough now that she could hear the slap of the tide, the gentle pushing and pulling, the roar... The harder dirt quickly turned into sand. The soles of her feet sank deeper and deeper the farther down they went until finally they reached the shore. It made her giddy, like she was a kid all over again, sneaking away to it when she knew she wasn't supposed to.

Maui could only watch, leaning against his hook in mute interest, as the girl leaned over her canoe and started throwing supplies out onto the beach. His eyes dropped and his smirk widened, arms folded across his chest. "Alright, what're you doing?"

"You'll see!" she chimed, taking a group of wilting flowers lodged under the sail and gathering them in her hands. Using a small fishnet next, she rolled it up tight and twisted it, until the two ends could be knotted and make a large hoop. After biting off a long piece of twine from her fishing pole, she did the same with it, only this time she poked a shell through it. With both of those on her arm, she dragged over a wooden crab pot and turned it over on its side in front of him, using it as a stool to make herself taller.

Moana swayed a bit before catching her balance and giving him a sheepish grin. "I always wanted a beach wedding.”

"I always imagined mine to be a bit more...populated, if I'm being honest." He looked around, emphasizing his point. "And during the daytime... But, hey, if it works for ya, it's good enough for me."

The gesture was almost sweet, in that rash 'I am Moana of Motunui and I will fight that lava monster' way of hers. All too soon a flower (at least that's what he thought it was, it almost looked like seaweed) was shoved into his hair, catching tangles and making him grimace. "Ow! Will you be gentle with the locks?" But Moana ignored him, tossing the fishnet around his neck and bouncing lightly on her two feet as he stared at her.

"Normally we'd have a priest, too," More careful with his curls now, she drug them free from under the fishnet and fluffed them back into shape. He grabbed the back of his neck with a grimace. "But it'll still count! We'll say our own thing." Despite all her efforts to sound confident, her voice wavered.

Moana leaned back, her brown eyes suddenly caught in his. She swallowed, feeling a sudden heat in her cheeks. What... what was there to say? Too many things. If she spoke from the heart, it'd probably sound like a mess.

But she had to try. "Maui, shape-shifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero to all..." she stalled, making a face when he waved his hand. Either he was telling her to keep ‘em comin’ or to hurry up. She took a deep breath. "You're my best friend, and now you're my husband - I think." Her hands gently ran down his shoulders. "And I wouldn't change my choice for anything... or anyone. I know it's not what either of us expected, but... _I_ don't need anyone here but you."

Ready now, she offered him the necklace she'd made.

"Way to put a guy on the spot," he said before he could stop himself, still taken aback by her small speech. She giggled and he shook his head, finding that she'd once again touched him without seeming like she'd put much effort in at all. He was wearing a fishnet, for one. Suddenly it felt much more than that, this moment intimate.

"Moana..." he began, unsure of himself as he took the necklace and looked it over, the light from the moon and stars more than enough to make out the shell on it. _Not pretty enough for her_ , his mind supplied readily. _Not by a mile_ , he was quick to correct. Slowly, he put it over her neck, watching her duck forward with a smile as it settled over her hair, which he pulled loose, staring down at her. He minded her hair when he weaved a flower into it. "Well, for starters...I don't know where I'd be without you. Not the island but with myself." He took another breath, not used to having to express himself when his miniature was there for that very reason and did a much better job of it. "You changed me, for the better. No doubt about it. And if you're happy with being my wife? Then I swear, I'll be the best husband I can for you."

Moana's heart visibly dipped at that and her body responded in kind. On her toes, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his. Swimming between them were at least a million and one silent promises. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she squeezed him tight. Tearful but happy, she shoved her face into the warm space at his shoulder. "Thank you," she sobbed.

Maui tugged her closer, arms easily dwarfing the girl against his chest. _Your wife_ , he reminded himself grimly, suddenly faced with the fact that she was his. Someone he definitely didn't deserve. It was another odd feeling. Like he wouldn't be able to handle this, which was absurd. He was Maui, demigod of the wind and sea. And a 17 year old mortal girl scared him.

When she was finally done sniffing and hiding, she laid her cheek on his shoulder, not quite ready to let go. In the dark, she was able to make out the horizon, calling, beckoning, yet she still found herself sadly soothed by the tide. Even if she couldn't run to it with him in tow, it nice just to be near it. Her small hands laid over his large back, feeling out tattoos she was rarely given the opportunity to explore. The large one first and then smaller ones, like scars. She wondered if he'd tell her more now that she was his wife.

Moana lifted her head minutely, squinting. There was a dull light on the ocean. Like a torch had been strapped to a canoe, only it was white... not red, like a fire would be. It didn't move like it either. There was a mist around it. An awful smell hit her nose and she was quick to throw a hand over it. "Maui!"

"Whaaaat, no kiss?" he readily teased, a cold breeze brushing against his back, carrying with it the scent of rot. He paused, looking down at Moana still in his arms who was looking past him over the water. Her hand slowly fell from her lips and her eyes were bright with a certain glow to them. One thumb brushed against her cheek, her dull expression unlike her. "Moana..."

The light was brilliant when it came closer, all the more enchanting as it walked on the water. It appeared dressed as she was. It carried with it a feathered familiarness, from its headdress to its skirt. A boney hand stretched out for her, bruised eyes blank yet beseeching. It parted bloodless lips and a silent whisper pushed through its hollowed cheeks. In that moment, she felt pulled from her body. The sensation of sensing nothing at all was... blissful. Moana readily stepped toward the call, falling only to be caught and held in arms stronger than her - or it.

A drum echoed in the aether with no drummer to be found. She was falling, still falling, forever falling, and as hard as she commanded her legs to kick they wouldn't. Her numb body was pressed to the sand. From the woods came tens of them, all blindingly white, and with them at least a hundred villagers. One by one, they all stepped onto the waves, walking endlessly, toward where the sky met the sea. Then it went dark and she could barely breath.

"Get down!" Maui pressed her face into his chest roughly, his own heart beating faster than the beat of the drum. Moana took in a sudden breath, as if coming up from the surface of the water for air, struggling against his grip but Maui only held on tighter, ducking his head over her own. "Don't look at them!"

Her palms pressed against his chest as she calmed, shaking. That same wind that carried the smell of death wafted over them.

"Don't look at their eyes," he breathed over her.

"What is that - that _thing_?!" she pleaded for an answer, holding herself to him like she'd done so many times when a thunderstorm had rattled over them. She was cold. So cold. Her throat closed with a nothingness that struck a fear into her heart, like she'd come back from death itself. There was an emptiness to her that made her wonder if she was in her body at all.

He didn't answer, catching the glow of lanterns and cold fire on the water in front of him. Maui shut his eyes, his hook too far to grab without letting go of Moana. It'd been a millennium at least six times over since this had happened... "Ignore the drums. Focus on me."

Moana was desperate to hear his voice again. Without it, she was lost to the other sounds around her. She closed her eyes tighter. Focus - the drums were louder, bashing against her skull - focus! Maui’s heart thumped against her ear... It was so quick.

Thump. Thump. Thump, thump, thump-!

The sound of the drums, the chants became more distant but he held on tight, every part stressed and strained, ready to fight if needed. To flee. Finally, Maui raised his head, looking out at the once again dark horizon.

Nothing left behind to signify they were even there.

"Nightmarchers."


End file.
